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Thunder Take on Ontario in Final Preseason Game

October 12, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


Arena: Stockton Arena

Date: Sunday, October 12, 2014

Time: 4:00 p.m. (Doors at 3:00 p.m.)

Broadcast: Spreaker beginning at 3:45 p.m.

Last Year's Record: Stockton went 6-7-3 vs. Ontario

Follow the Thunder Facebook Page for occasional updates or follow @StocktonThunder on Twitter for the play-by-play tweeting!

Tonight

The Thunder look to bounce back and put in a strong performance in their second and final preseason tune-up against the Ontario Reign. Ontario is playing back-to-back nights as they fell to Bakersfield last night at Citizens Business Bank Arena 3-1. The Thunder are hoping to bounce back after the loss to the Condors on Friday night when the Thunder got in penalty trouble and allowed 4 goals on 7 power play opportunities.

Traffic Alert for Fans Coming South I-5

If you haven't been around Stockton since last season you may not be familiar with I-5 splitting as you approach Monte Diablo Ave. When the lanes shift to the left, be sure to make your way to the rightmost lane. The right lane is for local traffic which will allow you to exit at the Fremont St. exit.

Season Ticket Holder Ticket Book Distribution

Season Ticket Holders can pick up their STH book today starting at 1:00 p.m. at a table just outside of the North Entry. The booklet has two tickets per seat for the preseason game already in it, so for example if you have three seats, you have six tickets to the preseason game.

If you need additional tickets, and are a season ticket holder, call your rep for additional tickets at $5. Seating tonight is general admission.

Last Time Out

The Thunder opened preseason in Bakersfield on Friday night but ultimately fell 5-2. Penalties doomed the Thunder as the Condors enjoyed seven-extra-man opportunities, capitalizing on four of them.

"I thought that the first period was good, we had chances and controlled the play in the offensive zone," Kromm explained. "[James] Henry's line (Henry, Garet Hunt, Robin Soudek ) was real good early. In the second period the penalties turned momentum, and obviously [the Condors] capitalized on four of our penalties, and that became the difference in the game."

Philippe Trudeau stopped 38 shots in the loss for the Thunder. Soudek had a goal and an assist while James Henry scored the other Thunder goal. Bakersfield nearly doubled the Thunder in shots as they finished the game firing 43 at Trudeau while the Thunder only got 22 shots to target. The Thunder may not have been able to beat Bakersfield goaltender Ty Rimmer in the third, but the team did create high quality scoring chances.

"We had some chances in the third," Kromm said. "[Mike] Pereira, [Adam] Phillips and [Prab] Rai were really good in the third period and created some great scoring chances."

Know the Enemy

The Ontario Reign seem so familiar, yet have so many new players. The Reign return 9 players to the squad including difference makers like captain Derek Couture, Rocco Carzo and Kyle Bigos. Talented Russian power-forward Maxim Kitsyn also returns for his second season with the team after again being sent to the Reign from the Manchester Monarchs.

The brotherly love continues for the team affiliated with the Los Angeles Kings as Gasper Kopitar, the brother of Kings superstar Anze Kopitar, is back for another season.

In addition to all the returners, the team went out and signed a number of players that played for a few ECHL teams last season, none bigger than former Las Vegas Wranglers defenseman Jeff May. May played 42 games with the Wranglers last season and had two separate stints in the AHL with the Texas Stars and Hershey Bears. The defenseman had 11 goals and 14 assists and was first in shooting percentage among ECHL defenseman with over 50 shots (13.6% with 81 shots).

Thunder fans will find two names pretty familiar on the Reign roster as former Thunder forwards Judd Blackwater and Brady Ramsay head down to Southern California. Blackwater played 54 games for the Thunder in 2008-09 and 2009-10, scoring 16 goals and 21 assists. He also registered 8 assists in 10 playoff games with the team.

Ramsay was signed to an amateur try-out with the Thunder after his career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL came to an end. In 3 games with the Thunder, Ramsay had an assist and 10 penalty minutes.

Who to Watch

Trudeau may have taken the loss on Friday night, but he was magnificent, stopping 38 of 43 shots, including many high quality chances. We'd imagine that Shane Owen will probably get the nod today in front of the home fans. Owen may not have the same height advantage that Trudeau has, but he has a lot of athleticism and plays a steady game in his crease.

He'll need some help from his defense in tonight's game for the Thunder to get the win, and certainly you'd expect a guy like Ryan Constant back in the lineup after Coach Kromm elected to keep him in Stockton for the first preseason game.

While fans should get excited about the potential for Tyler Maxwell and Peter Sivak to make their debuts in Thunder sweaters, it could be #16 who steals the show.

After spending a few extra days in AHL camp, fans may have their first opportunity to see Tyler Shattock in action. The former fourth round pick of the St. Louis Blues in 2009 has had a stellar start to his ECHL career, playing for Head Coach Rich Kromm in Evansville during the 2012-13 season. In just 3 games with the Icemen, the Salmon Arm, British Columbia native had 3 goals and 2 assists. Shattock has 255 games of AHL experience under his belt as well.

"Shattock is a big guy, shoots the puck well, and has some offensive skill," Kromm said. "He should play a good all-around game for us. He stayed up with the Bridgeport camp for a little longer because they liked his approach to the game. He worked hard every time he was on the ice, showed some skill and stuck up for his teammates. I want him to contribute every shift and play hard, and I know he'll do that."

Philly the Defender

Adam Phillips has seen time both as a defenseman and as a forward in training camp, but after watching him in Bakersfield, Coach Kromm was very pleased with the prospects of Phillips playing a really effective two-way game.

"Very intelligent player, he has a lot of range and reach," Kromm said. "He's played a lot of defense so his defensive mindset is very good, but he's got some offensive skill as well and had a couple good chances to score Friday night."

Phillips was only credited with one shot, however he had a couple opportunities go just wide on Bakersfield goaltender Ty Rimmer.

Making the Cut

There are a number of guys on try-out contracts that are trying to prove to Coach Kromm they belong on this team. Forwards like Trever Hertz, Chad Hohmann and Prab Rai along with defenseman Nick Malysa, Robin Rakell and Michal Spacek are all trying to prove to coach they have what it takes to not only stick with the team but contribute.

Coaches Quote

"It'd be nice to have one more, but two preseason games are typical for the ECHL. We don't have as much time to prepare as I'd like, but we have another chance to look at guys tonight and begin to make some decisions." - Coach Kromm on preseason games

"Shane's been good in camp. In some of our scrimmages, he was tested quite a bit, saw a lot of rubber, and was equal to the task." - Coach Kromm on Goaltender Shane Owen



ECHL Stories from October 12, 2014


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